


Blue Lilies

by tinyko



Series: In Which Sendak Joins the Paladins [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Planet, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Mutual Pining, Plants, Pre-Relationship, Self-Insert, Trans Male Character, Xenophilia, and then i went off, at the end, i'm a floral designer and i thought huh what if alien planets had blue flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 18:31:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15735036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyko/pseuds/tinyko
Summary: Leo finds an amazing flower while out exploring, sending his alien companions into a panic.AKA : How Leo got banned from going planetside ever again.AKA : In which Leo gives the Alteans and Sendak a heart attack.





	Blue Lilies

**Author's Note:**

> heyo what's up, i'm back on my shit
> 
> this is an au where sendak more or less joins the paladins and turns against the empire. i frankly dont care if its ooc. i go into more dets in the story itself and if this gets some good reviews/feedback i may go into that more and make some more about that

Prompt: I find an amazingly blue flowering plant and get very excited and start picking a whole bunch of it to make a floral arrangement. Sendak sees me doing this and freaks out as this plant is extremely toxic to most alien life - just touching it can induce severe ailments such as vomiting, rash, fever, etc. however, I just stand there holding a whole clump of the stuff and just kinda looking at it and him perfectly fine. Thus we find out that humans are perfectly immune.

Partially inspired by Xenobiology and Purple Space Cats by InvertedPhantasmagoria.

 

Being able to go and explore new planets that hold life is always exciting. Every opportunity that Leo has to do so, he leaps at the chance, throwing a bag together filled with his sketchbook, pencils, snacks and empty containers ranging in various sizes and near sprinting to whichever Lion was heading down or to the main landing dock if the Castle itself was going to land.

Today is no different. Coran announced that they’ll be going down to a planet to restock on some supplies and to take a short breather - this planet happened to not be heavily populated, nearly all of the population lived in one city surrounded by thick jungle which meant that they could spend a while to stretch their legs and get some fresh air.

Leo grins happily, humming a tune as he makes his way towards the main command deck, his bag slung over his shoulders and a skip in his step. A whole jungle wide planet meant a whole jungle full of alien plants that very few have seen before. He felt anxiety creep up on him however.

Nearly this entire time that the humans have been in space, they’ve had two extra passengers - two Galra who were captured near the beginning of their journey - a Commander Sendak and a Lieutenant Haxus. Leo, who very well tries to not be ‘every single Galra, even if they weren’t alive at the time, is responsible for the destruction of Altea,’ somehow managed to convince Allura to keep them alive and to wake them up. He did so by trying to appeal to her by going on a long winded spiel on the possibly of them changing sides now that their ‘victory’ can no longer be achieved and maybe they open up to another option than ‘death.’

Somehow, it had worked on Allura. Probably meeting the Blades helped that, seeing other Galra fighting for the same cause. So they woke up only Sendak at first. It was a difficult challenge. The Commander was, and still very well is, incredibly stubborn and proud. Leo spent hours trying to communicate with him each day. He even went as far as smuggling food and breaking into his cell to pick the locks on the chains the Alteans put on him. 

It took a long time, and many, many conversations, but eventually he caved. Leo still is unsure if it truly was his kindness and care that won Sendak over. But, nonetheless, the former Galra Commander started to hand over small tidbits of information - starting with just helping translate transmissions - but then he started to open up more. He gave battle strategies and even some basic plans.

He opened up to Leo as well, giving the young man some of his backstory and seeming to enjoy talking to him and maybe even looking forward to his visits.

And somewhere along the line, Leo came to the realisation that he had a huge, gay crush on Sendak.

Thus, leading to this very moment. Leo stands just outside the doors into the bridge, his prior excitement getting eaten away by his anxiety. He fidgets with his hands and takes a deep breath, going over the script he formed in his head once more before entering the bridge. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that only Allura is there at the moment, he wouldn’t be able to handle if some of the Paladins or if Shiro happened to also be here.

He clears his throat and steps towards her.

“Allura? You got a sec?”

The Princess looks up, a smile on her face, “Hello, Leo, can I help you with something?”

“Yeah, kinda…” he fidgets with his hands more, starting to pick at the skin near his nails, “So we’re stopped on this planet for a day or two right? I wanted to go exploring and get some plants and I was wondering… Can I bring Sendak with me?”

Leo watches as Allura’s face falls.

“Please, hear me out. He’s been stuck in that cell for months, and the Paladins are all busy doing their things in the city with Coran. He’s proven that he’s not fully on the Empire’s side anymore, plenty of times. He’s probably even saved our asses or even entire planets with some of the things he’s told us. I’m not asking you to let him out completely or give him free reign of the Castle. Just… letting him go outside to get some fresh air.”

Allura does not look a bit happy, but Leo’s reasoning seems to get to her. She sighs deeply, “Alright. You have a good point. I’ll allow this, on _one_ condition.”

Leo nods quickly.

“You must wear a tracking device,” Allura digs around the control space, pulling a tiny device from some unknown location, “It’s small and discreet so if anything were to happen we can find you quickly. Do _not_ remove this device.”

Leo smiles, “Of course. I won’t. Thank you, Allura.”

Forcing a strained smile in return, the princess reaches for his hand and hides the tracking device in his many bracelets. She takes another deep breath and closes her eyes, letting the forced smile drop from her face.

“Let’s go let him out.”

\-------------------------------------------------

Now that the hardest part was over, Leo feels his excitement fill his small body once more and he can’t help the smile creep onto his face. Sendak looks a touch confused as he’s led out of the Castle behind Leo, an unhappy princess behind him.

“You have two have thirty vargas. If you do not return before that or radio in that you will be later, I and the Paladins will come searching for you,” Allura says as they reach the main doors of the Castle.

Leo nods, sending a mock salute, “You got it! We’ll be back, I promise!”

As they head off down the worn, dirt path nearby, Leo turns to Sendak, walking sideways with his head tilted up, “So I’m just using this as a big excuse to let you get some fresh air. I like to go explore planets and find cool plants.”

He turns back to walk properly, “I used to be a floral designer before we got drug out into space, meaning I made decorative arrangements with plants. So getting to see alien plants is really exciting for me! I like to try to gather some too and try to make arrangements back on the Castle. I… haven’t been able to yet, but I don’t stop trying!”

Leo laughs a little, trying to cover up the hint of sadness that those words gave away. Sendak’s ears flick and he turns his head slightly down to try to glimpse the small man from the corner of his eye. The smaller merely keeps his attention ahead on a worn walking path that leads deeper into the jungle. He shoots a smile up to his companion.

“Well, let’s go!”

\-------------------------------------------------

By the time the dual suns are nearly directly overhead, the two find a small clearing, the first they come across since starting out. Leo plops down on the ground, setting his bag to the side, stretching his arms above his head and flopping down. He leans his head back, looking up at Sendak.

“Having fun? Do you feel better now that you can roam around some?”

Sendak nods, “Yes. It feels good to walk and have the sun on me.”

Leo rolls from his back to his stomach, watching Sendak take a seat a few metres away. Leo folds his arms and rests his head in them, tilting just right to still be able to watch Sendak. During his time on the Castle of Lions, Sendak’s fur has grown considerably, what was formerly neatly groomed and trim, now much longer and fluffier, the breeze ruffling it up more. His cybernetic eye had been shut down, the Galra choosing to cover his eye with a strip of black cloth. 

Sendak tilts his head towards Leo more, causing the young man to quickly advert his gaze, his cheeks burning, to look at some underbrush. A bright, vibrant blue catches his attention. He heaves himself up and makes his way over to the other side of the clearing, opposite of Sendak. He crouches down again and gasps.

“Oh my god, this is incredible!”

With a huge smile, he gently touches the petals of the flower. Each bloom is about the size of his fist, with six long petals, the ends of each curling under. It’s the colour that sends Leo into awe. It’s a vibrant royal blue, fading towards the centre to a more faded blue, with deep, dark blue speckles across the petals, reminding the young man of Asian lilies. It gives no scent and in each bloom there are three, purple stamen and a single, white pistil.

“This is amazing, back on Earth, flowers very rarely come naturally blue! There’s only around forty species in total that come anywhere near a blue tone. This flower is just so vibrant!”

Leo gently pulls a few, reaching into the bush and using his thumbnail to break a few off, gathering them in his hands. He can barely contain his excitement.

“I hope they press well, I would love to be able to show these off to my boss, he would love them so much! Look at them, Sendak, they’re so pretty!”

The smaller turns his body, letting Sendak see the flower. Leo turns and smiles at him. The Galra has a tender look on his face, a soft expression Leo can’t quite place. However, it quickly changes, his ears going from relaxed to straight up, his eye widening and he leaps to his feet.

“Put those down!”

“Huh?” Leo looks up at the older man, alarmed at his sudden outburst, “What’s wrong?”

“That’s an Obriagamire blossom,” Sendak growls, something sounding awfully close to fear in his voice, “They’re one of the most deadly plants in this sector. Just touching it can prove to be lethal.”

Panic fills Leo, his chest feeling cold, “W-what do you mean?”

Sendak approaches the young man, kneeling down next to him, his ears nearly flat against his head, “This is not good, you have been in contact with this much too long. I have seen Galra have violent reactions to just a simple brush against this plant.”

“H-how should I be feeling?” Leo can feel tears forming in his eyes, terrified.

“It induces vomiting, bloody rashes and fever at the very beginning stages. Show me your hands.”

Leo lets the flowers fall from his grasp, holding his hands palm up for Sendak to look over. Sendak’s hand hovers just below Leo’s as he looks over the smaller’s palms.

“There’s… nothing…”

“What?”

Sendak doesn’t touch Leo’s hands, but he leans in for a closer look, “Your hands are fine. There is no sign of the rash at all.”

He turns his head to face Leo, “Fever, what about a fever? Do you feel feverish?”

Leo shakes his head, “No, I feel fine. Minus the panic, there’s nothing out of the ordinary. Well, I feel a little weak, but that’s just the panic, I’m sure.”

Sendak leans back on his heels, his face full of confusion, “Explain exactly what you did.”

“I saw it when I looked over. I got excited and started to touch it, looking at the details and all of that. There was no scent or any pollen and I started to pick some, hoping to take it back to the Castle…”

Sendak tilts his head, “No scent?”

Leo shakes his head, “No, which is odd, almost every flower I’ve ever seen has a scent except for orchids.”

“That is… not correct. They have an incredibly strong scent. It is the main indicator to stay away. I can smell it from here,” Sendak tilts his head slightly.

Leo shakes his head, “I smell nothing. Nothing different than what I’ve smelt coming through this far.”

Sendak growls, a deep rumbling from the back of his throat, “I am taking you back. Coran will check you out.”

“Let me just grab some,” Leo starts to pick up some of the discarded flowers, “Can you grab me a container from my bag?”

“Why do you-”

“Coran might need the flower. If I’m poisoned, the antidote is usually the same or similar poison. That’s how they treat venomous snake and spider bites back on Earth. If he needs it to cure me, then we need to bring some.”

Sendak sighs, his ears perking up slightly, and reaches for Leo’s bag, his long arm able to reach it without hardly moving. He pulls a clear glass container out and opens it for Leo to drop the flowers in and closes it. He digs through the bag to pull out the bottle of water.

“Wash your hands.”

Leo nods and watches as Sendak opens the bottle and tilts it, letting some water fall over Leo’s hands. The young man rubs at his hands, letting the water get to everywhere he touched the flowers. Sendak closes the bottle and puts it back in Leo’s back, then plops it in Leo’s lap.

Leo goes to stand, but suddenly finds a large arm wrapped around him. Sendak stands and makes sure his arm is securely around Leo and that the smaller is tucked safely to his chest. Leo’s cheeks burn, the pink covering his entire face and tightens his grip on his bag. He looks up at Sendak. The Galra doesn’t return the look, keeping his gaze steady as he begins to head back towards the way they came. His ears flick a couple times.

“I can walk just fine, Sendak,” Leo stutters out, his voice soft.

The former Commander’s ears flick again, settling to rest a touch lower than normal, “I would rather not take any risks. Exposure to the Obriagamire blossom can cause fatigue and weakness. I will carry you and I can move much quicker.”

True to his word, the two make it back to the main dirt path in almost a quarter of the time and Leo flushes a little deeper at the thought that he moves so much slower. Then again, he reminds himself, he is barely half the height of Sendak so it would only make sense that he can move much faster when he wants to.

He hears a distant shout from farther down the path, more towards the city. Sendak turns his body so Leo can see as well. The Paladins run up the path, Shiro at the lead.

“What’s going on?” Shiro shouts from still a little ways away.

Leo waves, “I touched a flower that could be fatal.”

“He needs to see a medic immediately,” Sendak growls, that strange sound still present in his throat.

Coran steps up from the back of the group, worry on his face, “What flower did you touch?”

“Um,” He looks up towards Sendak, “What did you say it was? Obri… Obrigamore? O…”

“Obriagamire,” Sendak corrects.

That sends Coran into a frenzy, panic washing over him, “Obriagamire? How is he still conscious? We need to get him into the med-bay immediately!”

Sendak nods and follows Coran closely as the Altean rushes back to the Castle. Leo feels Sendak’s grip tighten a little, holding his closer to his chest.

\-------------------------------------------------

Leo sits on a bed in the med-bay, swinging his legs nervously. Coran flutters around him, tapping away at a datapad as he looks over the young man. Sendak stands off to the side, his ears lowered and his hand curled into a fist by his side.

“This is so strange! There’s no signs at all that you even touched the Obriagamire blossom! Are you sure it was an Obriagamire?”

Sendak nods curtly, “I know that flower. I have had several soldiers die from exposure to it.”

Coran hums, stepping away from Leo, “And you say you did not smell anything? The odor of this particular flower is quite strong. It’s a deterrent to keep creatures away from it.”

Leo shakes his head, “No, nothing. I don’t feel weird, I don’t feel feverish or faint, I don’t feel nauseous. I saw the colour of it and just got excited.”

“Where did you touch the flower?” Coran asks, reaching for Leo’s hands again.

“Just the petals and the stems. I did poke at the centre a little, but it was just to get a better look at it,” Leo explains, letting Coran flip his hands over and run his fingers over his palms before freezing.

“You - You touched the centre?”

Leo tilts his head, furrowing his eyebrows, “Yeah, it looked like a lily so I wanted to see if it was sticky like the centre of one.”

“That should have been certain death! The centre is the most toxic part!”

“Hey what’s this? Is this what you needed?” Lance pokes his head into the med-bay, holding the Obriagamire flower in his hand… out of its container.

Coran shrieks.

\-------------------------------------------------

Turns out, after testing it on the other humans, minus Keith, all of the humans ended up being immune to the flower’s toxins, hence why Leo had no ill effects. Also perhaps why the flower doesn’t grow on Earth. Leo keeps one of the blossoms in the container, setting it off to the side in his room with some of his other preserved plants.

Sendak stands off to the side of Leo’s room, shifting his weight a little awkwardly. Leo holds back a small laugh at the motion. Of all the things he would imagine the tall, fierce, former Commander of the Galra Empire to do, an anxious tick is one of the lowest on the list.

“So, big guy,” Leo turns towards Sendak, “You seemed weird during that whole hot mess. What’s up?”

Flicking one ear, Sendak turns his face away from the small man, going to move his arm as if to cross it, but forgetting he only has one so he just fumbles a little, “You assume wrong, it was nothing.”

Leo shrugs, “I’m not gonna belittle you for anything, I mean I was fucking terrified. I just wanted to check in with you. You didn’t leave my side the entire time, you _still_ haven’t. Not that I’m complaining, I like spending time with you, but I just want to make sure you’re good.”

At those words, Sendak seems to soften, his shoulders falling just the smallest amount and his ears drooping, a look that can only be described as _gentle_ forming across his face, “I am merely… relieved that you are alright.”

With a smile, Leo reaches out and rubs Sendak’s arm in a comforting motion. Sendak jolts at the touch, nearly making Leo pull his hand away and apologise, but the Galra let out a deep, rough… purr? His ears droop and his eye closes. The purr is loud and low, Leo can nearly feel it from just touching his arm. Leo can’t help a blush forming across his cheeks.

It ends quickly, however. Sendak’s ears shoot upward and he cuts his purring off and tilts his head away, clearing his throat.

Leo laughs a little, plopping down on his bed, “I didn’t know Galra purred. That’s cute.”

Sendak huffs, his fur puffing up just the slightest and his ears folding back, “I am not ‘cute.’ I was a Commander in Zarkon’s army and given some of the most vital missions to the Empire.”

This only causes more laughter from Leo, “You know you can have done all of that and still be cute, right? And either way, it was nice to hear. I’ve never heard any other Galra purr, so it’s a personal thing then?”

Sendak hesitates, then nods, “Yes, I… have not done so in front of another in… in centuries.”

Patting the spot on his bed next to him, Leo smiles, “I’m happy that you feel safe enough to do so in front of me. I’m honoured, truly. Come, sit, take some time and just relax.”

Once more, the taller hesitates, but he ends up giving in, moving to sit next to Leo a little stiffly. The young man gently takes Sendak’s hand in his own and rubs at his fingers and the rough pads on each. The motion seems to soothe Sendak, who’s shoulders relax and sure enough, he begins to purr once more. Leo leans back on his bed, dragging Sendak with him. Sendak pauses, hesitating, before slowly lowering himself to rest half sprawled over Leo, laying his head on the young man’s chest.

Leo brings his hand up and rubs the top of Sendak’s head, running his fingers through the long fur along his neck, feeling his purrs vibrate through his chest. Sendak wraps his arm around Leo, hugging the small man.

“I was scared,” Sendak’s voice is quiet, muffled by the purrs, “I did not want to lose you.”

Leo hums and his voice is just as quiet when he replies, “Thank you for telling me. I’m here and I’m alright.”

Sendak pulls him a little closer, but doesn’t say anything more. He simply rubs the side of his face against Leo’s chest and neck as the smaller runs his fingers through his fur. Leo begins to hum a soft song, his eyes drifting shut. He knows he can’t ignore the flutter in his stomach and decides to worry about it when he wakes up, just savouring this moment as much as he can.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! pls leave a kudo or a comment if you can! it def helps me feel better about writing dumb self indulgent shit


End file.
